Battery Cabinet with Unique Battery Module Bracket

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Number 63/700,279 filed September 27, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present disclosure relates to battery storage cabinets, and more particularly to mounting systems within battery storage cabinets.

Data centers rely heavily on batteries for providing primary or secondary power to servers within the data centers. These batteries are often securely stored in compartments such as battery cabinets. Due to space limitations within the data centers, there is a need to confine sets of batteries into the smallest spaces possible within the battery cabinetry while still allowing individual batteries to be removed quickly if needed from the set of batteries. However, current battery storage systems are unable to increase the packing efficiency of batteries in cabinets while still allowing easy mounting and dismounting of individual batteries from the cabinets. Therefore, there is a need for battery cabinets and battery cabinet storage systems that are able to store batteries more efficiently while still allowing easy mounting and removal of individual batteries.

Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed toward a bracket for securing an object such as a battery to a cabinet shelf, a cabinet that includes the bracket, and a method for securing the battery to the cabinet shelf.

In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a bracket including: a first plate oriented along a first plane including at least one first plate attachment hole; a second plate coupled to the first plate and oriented along a second plane, wherein the second plate includes at least one second plate attachment hole; and a third plate coupled to at least one of the first plate and the second plate and oriented along a third plane.

In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a cabinet including: a cabinet frame; at least one shelf configured to store an object; and at least one bracket configured to secure the object to the at least one shelf including: a first plate oriented along a first plane including at least one first plate attachment hole; a second plate coupled to the first plate and oriented along a second plane, wherein the second plate includes at least one second plate attachment hole; and a third plate coupled to at least one of the first plate and the second plate and oriented along a third plane.

In some embodiments, the techniques described herein relate to a method for securing a battery to a shelf of a battery cabinet including: coupling at least one bracket to the battery, the bracket including: a first plate oriented along a first plane including at least one first plate attachment hole; a second plate coupled to the first plate and oriented along a second plane, wherein the second plate includes at least one second plate attachment hole; and a third plate coupled to at least one of the first plate and the second plate and oriented along a third plane; placing the battery onto the shelf; and coupling the at least one bracket to the shelf via a single fastener.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not necessarily restrictive of the present disclosure. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate subject matter of the disclosure. Together, the descriptions and the drawings serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

Before explaining one or more embodiments of the disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited in their application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components or steps or methodologies set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. In the following detailed description of embodiments, numerous specific details may be set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure that the embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known features may not be described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the instant disclosure.

1 1 1 a b As used herein a letter following a reference numeral is intended to reference an embodiment of the feature or element that may be similar, but not necessarily identical, to a previously described element or feature bearing the same reference numeral (e.g.,,,). Such shorthand notations are used for purposes of convenience only and should not be construed to limit the disclosure in any way unless expressly stated to the contrary.

Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present), and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

In addition, the use of “a” or “an” may be employed to describe elements and components of embodiments disclosed herein. This is done merely for convenience and “a” and “an” are intended to include “one” or “at least one,” and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.

Finally, as used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “embodiments” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment disclosed herein. The appearances of the phrase “in embodiments” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, and embodiments may include one or more of the features expressly described or inherently present herein, or any combination or sub-combination of two or more such features, along with any other features which may not necessarily be expressly described or inherently present in the instant disclosure.

Disclosed is a cabinet for storage of electronic equipment, such as batteries. The cabinet includes a cabinet frame, at least one shelf for storing the electronic equipment, and at least one bracket configured to secure the electronic equipment to the shelf. The at least one bracket includes three plates arranged in three different planes relative to each other. A first plate is couplable to the shelf, a second plate is couplable to the electronic equipment, and a third plate provides support to the first plate and/or the second plate.

1 FIG.A 100 100 102 104 106 100 106 108 110 112 illustrates a perspective view of a cabinet, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The cabinetincludes a frame, and one or more shelvesa-i. One or more of the one or more shelves is configured to store one or more objects or units of electronic equipment, such as a batterya-q (e.g., the battery also referred to as a battery module). The cabinetsecures the one or more batteriesa-q to the one or more shelves via one or more bracketsa-i. The cabinet may further include a top paneland/or one or more side panels.

100 104 100 104 106 104 106 106 106 106 106 106 104 108 108 108 108 106 104 108 108 108 The cabinetmay include any number of shelves. For example, the cabinetmay include one or more, two or more, three or more, or nine or more shelves. One or more of the shelvesmay store any number of batteriesor other electronic equipment units. For example, a shelfmay be configured to store a single battery, two batteries, three batteries, four batteries, or five or more batteries. One or more of the batteriesmay be secured to the one or more shelvesby a single bracket, two bracket, three brackets, four brackets, or five or more brackets. For example, a batterymay be secured to a shelfvia a pair of brackets(e.g., a left bracketand a right bracket).

1 FIG.B 106 108 108 108 108 106 104 114 a b illustrates a perspective view of a batteryattached to two bracketsa-b (e.g., a left bracketand a right bracket), in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The bracketsmay couple to the batteryand shelfvia one or more fastenersa-d (e.g., screws) or other attachment devices.

1 FIG.C 108 106 104 108 116 118 108 106 108 120 106 108 b b b is a close-up perspective view of the bracketsecuring the batteryto the shelf, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The bracketmay include one or more alignment holesa-b and/or alignment tabsthat assist in the operator in properly orienting the bracketto the battery. The bracketmay also include one or more clearance holesthat permit the protrusion of a component of the battery(e.g., a bolt) through the surface of the bracket.

108 108 122 104 124 108 126 122 126 108 128 126 122 122 126 128 122 126 126 128 128 122 122 126 128 b b b 1 FIG.C In embodiments, the bracketis comprised of at least three plates or sides arranged in at least three different planes. For example, the bracketmay include a first plateoriented along a first plane (e.g., an x-axis) that is couplable to the shelfvia one or more first plate attachment holes. In another example, the bracketmay include a second platethat is coupled to the first plateand oriented along a second plane (e.g., a Y-axis). The second platemay be couplable to the battery via one or more second plate attachment holes (e.g., hidden by fasteners 114c-d in). In another example, the bracketmay include a third platethat is coupled to the second plateand/or third plateand is oriented along a third axis (e.g., a Z-axis). While the three plates,,may be oriented along the X-, Y-, and Z-axis (e.g., the first platesubstantially normal to the second plate, the second platesubstantially normal to the third plate, and the third platesubstantially normal to the first plate), the one or more of the planes,,may be less than or more than normal to another respective plate. Therefore, the above description should not be interpreted as a limitation of the present disclosure, but merely an illustration.

As used herein, the term “substantially” is intended to mean “largely but not necessarily entirely” or “approximately”, as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. It allows for reasonable deviations from the exact value or condition stated, so long as such deviations do not materially affect the intended function or outcome. For example, a component that is described as being “substantially aligned” may have minor deviations from perfect alignment that do not significantly affect its performance or utility within the context of the invention. In some examples used herein, the term “substantially” is used to describe a relationship between two parts that is within five degrees of the stated relationship (e.g., a substantially colinear relationship is within five degrees of being linear, a substantially perpendicular relationship is within five degrees of being perpendicular, a substantially parallel relationship is within five degrees of being parallel, etc.). In another example, the term “substantially” may refer to an amount that is more than halfway, e.g., greater than 50%, greater than 60%, greater than 70%, greater than 75%, greater than 80%, greater than 85%, greater than 90%, greater than 95%, or greater than 99%.

122 130 124 126 106 104 132 106 100 124 106 112 106 104 108 108 108 124 108 106 104 124 132 106 a b In embodiments, the first plateincludes a tool-access regionthat enables an operator access to the one or more first plate attachment holes. For example, when the second plateis coupled to the battery, and the battery is placed on the shelf, the tool-access region extends beyond a boundary(e.g., a front-facing boundary) of the battery. An operator facing the cabinetwould then be able to access the one or more first plate attachment holeswithout being restricted by another adjacent batteryor side panel. This arrangement allows an operator to quickly secure the batteryto the shelfby brackets(e.g., one left bracketand one right bracket) via a single, highly accessible first plate attachment holeson each bracket. When the batteryis secured to the shelf, one of the one or more first plate attachment holesmay be extended 0.5 cm or more, 1.0 cm or more, 1.5 cm or more, 2.0 cm or more, 2.5 cm or more, or 3.0 cm or more outward from the boundaryof the battery.

126 128 In embodiments, the alignment tab extends from the second plateand through (e.g., crossing the plane) of the third plate.

2 2 FIGS.A andB 108 108 108 106 104 200 108 202 118 108 108 a b illustrate perspective views of bracketsa-b, respectively, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. Bracketsandmirror each other as they are used to secure opposing sides of the batteryto the shelf. The second plate attachment holesa-b are visible. The bracketa-b may include a tab holeproduced by the formation of the alignment tabswhen working the material of the bracketa-b. the tab hole may add to the structural integrity of the bracketa-b by providing more points of contact for forces to distribute across, which may lead to increased load distribution and resistance to stress.

108 108 122 126 128 108 In embodiments, the bracketis made of a contiguous piece of material. For example, the bracketmay be constructed from a relatively flat or substantially flat piece of metal that has been shaped or formed into a three-plane shape that includes the first plate, the second plate, and the third plate. The forming or shaping of the bracketmay be performed by stamping or other metal-working methods.

128 122 126 128 204 206 122 208 206 204 208 108 2 FIG.B In embodiments, the third plateis bonded to the first plateand/or the second plate. For example, and as shown in, the third platehas a third plate widththat may be bonded to a first plate widthof the first plateat an interface(e.g., the first plate widthand the third plate widthbeing substantially equivalent. The bonding at the interfacemay include any known bonding techniques including, but not limited to, welding and crimping. The bonding at the interface increases the overall strength of the bracket.

3 3 FIGS.A-B 3 FIG.B 300 206 208 302 126 206 122 304 122 302 206 304 128 122 130 206 302 108 106 illustrate detailed flattened schematics of the brackets 108a-b, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. Relative positions of aspects of the bracket to an origin(e.g., located along the first plate widthat the interface) are included in millimeters (with inches in brackets). In embodiments, a second plate widthof the second plateis wider than a first plate widthof the first plateand less than one-half a first plate lengthof the first plate. For example, and as shown in, the second plate widthis approximately 26 mm, which is greater than the approximate width of the first plate width(approximately 17 mm). In another example, the first plate length(approximately 62 mm) is more than twice the approximately 26 mm width of the second plate. The increased length of the first plateprovides the tool-access region, as described herein, whereas having the first plate widthmore narrow than the second plate widthenables a smaller footprint of the bracketbetween adjacent batteries, increasing storage efficiency.

4 FIG. 400 106 104 100 400 108 illustrates a process flow diagram depicting a methodfor securing a batteryto a shelfof a cabinet, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The methodutilizes the bracketas described within the current disclosure.

400 402 108 In embodiments, the methodincludes a stepof coupling at least one bracketto the battery, the bracket including a first plate oriented along a first plane comprising at least one first plate attachment hole, a second plate coupled to the first plate and oriented along a second plane, wherein the second plate comprises at least one second plate attachment hole, and a third plate coupled to at least one of the first plate and the second plate and oriented along a third plane.

400 404 106 104 400 406 108 104 114 108 114 106 In embodiments, the methodincludes a stepof placing the batteryonto the shelf. In embodiments, the methodincludes a stepof attaching the at least one bracketto the shelfvia a single fastener. For example, each bracketmay be secured to the shelf by a single fastener(e.g., a screw), allowing a technician to quickly add or swap batteries.

400 400 400 400 It is noted herein the methodis not limited to the steps and/or sub-steps provided. The methodmay include more or fewer steps and/or sub-steps. In addition, the methodmay perform the steps and/or sub-steps simultaneously. Further, the methodmay perform the steps and/or sub-steps sequentially, including in the order provided or an order other than provided. Therefore, the above description should not be interpreted as a limitation on the scope of the disclosure but merely an illustration.

The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being "operably connected", or "operably coupled", to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being "operably couplable", to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactable components.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.).

While particular aspects of the present subject matter described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from the subject matter described herein and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is defined by the appended claims.